On Friday, September 11th, 2009, an American flag should be displayed outside every home, apartment, office, and store in the United States. Every individual should make it their duty to display an American flag on this eighth anniversary of one of our country's worst tragedies. We do this to honor those who lost their lives on 9/11, their families, friends and loved ones who continue to endure the pain, and those who today are fighting at home and abroad to preserve our cherished freedoms.

In the days, weeks and months following 9/11, our country was bathed in American flags as citizens mourned the incredible losses and stood shoulder-to-shoulder against terrorism. Sadly, those flags have all but disappeared.

Our patriotism pulled us through some tough times and it shouldn't take another attack to galvanize us in solidarity. Our American flag is the fabric of our country and together we can prevail over terrorism of all kinds...

Action Plan:

(1) Forward this email to everyone you know. Please don't be the one to break this chain.

Take a moment to think back to how you felt on 9/11 and let those sentiments guide you!

(2) Fly an American flag of any size on 9/11; make it a priority on this day!

Thank you for your participation.

God Bless You and God Bless America

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How about displaying the flag on all correspondence - snail mail and email, on blogs, sites and everywhere else it can be seen?

And, if you have a flag lapel pin, this would be one of the times it would be very appropriate to wear it.

They think we're crazy. "They" are the sneering defenders of Barack Obama who can't fathom the backlash against the president's nationwide speech to schoolchildren next Tuesday. "We" are parents with eyes wide open to the potential for politicized abuse in America's classrooms.

Ask moms and dads in Farmington, Utah, who discovered this week that their children sat through a Hollywood propaganda video promoting the cult of Obama. In the clip, a parade of entertainers vow to flush their toilets less, buy hybrid vehicles, end poverty and world hunger, and commit to "service" for "change." Actress Demi Moore leads the glitterati in a collective promise "to be a servant to our president." Musician Anthony Kiedis pledges "to be of service to Barack Obama."

The campaign commercial crescendos with the stars and starlets asking their audience: "What's your pledge?"

This same "Do Something" ethos infected the U.S. Department of Education teachers guides accompanying the announcement of Obama's speech -- until late Wednesday, that is, when the White House removed some of the activist language exhorting students to come up with ways to "help the president." Education Secretary Arne Duncan had disseminated the material directly to principals across the country -- circumventing elected school board members and superintendents now facing neighborhood revolts.

O's bureaucrats can whitewash offending language from the Sept. 8 speech-related documents, but they can't remove the taint of left-wing radicalism that informs Obama and his education mentors. A spokesman maintained that the speech is "about the value of education and the importance of staying in school as part of his effort to dramatically cut the dropout rate." But the historical subtext is far less innocent.

Obama served with Weather Underground terrorist and neighbor Bill Ayers on the Chicago Annenberg Challenge education initiative. Downplaying academic achievement in favor of left-wing radical activism in the public schools is rooted in Ayers' pedagogical philosophy. Obama served as the program's first chairman of the board, while Ayers steered its curricular policy. The two oversaw grants to welfare rights enterprise ACORN and to avowed communist Michael Klonsky -- a close pal of Ayers and member of the militant Students for a Democratic Society. SDS served as a precursor to the violent Weather Underground organization.

As investigative journalist Stanley Kurtz reported, Klonsky and Ayers teamed up on the so-called "small schools movement" to steer schoolchildren away from core academics to left-wing politicking on issues of "inequity, war and violence."

A cadre of like-minded educators and national service administrators across the country share the same core commitment to transforming themselves from imparters of knowledge to transformers of society. The "change" agenda trains students to think only about what they should do for Obama -- and rarely to contemplate how his powers and ambitions should be limited and restrained.

Ayers preached his education-as-"social justice" agenda to his "comrades" at the World Education Forum in Caracas, Venezuela, three years ago:

"This is my fourth visit to Venezuela, each time at the invitation of my comrade and friend Luis Bonilla, a brilliant educator and inspiring fighter for justice. Luis has taught me a great deal about the Bolivarian Revolution and about the profound educational reforms underway here in Venezuela under the leadership of President (Hugo) Chavez. We share the belief that education is the motor-force of revolution, and I've come to appreciate Luis as a major asset in both the Venezuelan and the international struggle -- I look forward to seeing how he and all of you continue to overcome the failings of capitalist education as you seek to create something truly new and deeply humane."

Ayers continued:

"I walked out of jail and into my first teaching position -- and from that day until this I've thought of myself as a teacher, but I've also understood teaching as a project intimately connected with social justice. After all, the fundamental message of the teacher is this: You can change your life -- whoever you are, wherever you've been, whatever you've done, another world is possible. As students and teachers begin to see themselves as linked to one another, as tied to history and capable of collective action, the fundamental message of teaching shifts slightly, and becomes broader, more generous: We must change ourselves as we come together to change the world. Teaching invites transformations, it urges revolutions small and large. La educacion es revolucion!"

This is why informed parents do not trust the Educator-in-Chief and his "comrades." You can take Obama from the radicals in Chicago. But you can't take the Chicago radicalism out of Obama.

---

Michelle Malkin is the author of the forthcoming "Culture of Corruption: Obama and his Team of Tax Cheats, Crooks & Cronies" (Regnery 2009).

Pearls of Wisdom

A Better World

By Herman Cain

When my first grandchild, Celena Patrice, was born in January, 1999, I looked at her little fifteen minute old face and the first thought that came to my mind was not "How do we give her a better start in life?" My first thought was "How do I make this a better world?"

During those moments as I looked at Celena's little face, I couldn't help but think about all the other little faces in the world, and what type of world they would inherit. At that moment, my past dreams and accomplishments seemed insignificant in comparison to the many challenges we face as a nation and as a world of nations.

Everyone is blessed with different abilities. But when we choose to be CEO of SELF, we allow ourselves to dream. We empower ourselves to be happy. And we use our God given abilities to make a difference in the lives of others and in the world. As CEO of SELF, a better world is our responsibility. One little face at a time.

Wednesday, September 02, 2009

Laura's E-Blast

http://www.LauraIngraham.com

September 1, 2009

Political guru Charlie Cook is predicting Democrats will lose 20+ seats in the House of Representatives next year. Pollsters Zogby, Gallup, Rasmussen all show a striking downward trajectory of public approval for this administration, across almost every major demographic group. So why is this happening?

It's true that President Obama won last November because people wanted a change from Bush policies. But for many independent voters, that meant an end to dirty politics and Washington excess -- promises Obama made at every stop along the campaign trail. Instead what they got is what most conservatives predicted -- huge deficits, higher taxes, a ballooning federal government, and a weak, appeasement-first foreign policy. Heck, when we can't even convince Scotland to keep the despised Lockerbie bomber behind bars, you know we've lost ground.

Some -- such as David Brooks of the New York Times -- suggest Obama's in trouble because liberals in Washington hold too much sway over his administration. Newsflash: HE IS A LIBERAL! He is obsessed with climate change. He adores socialized medicine. He wants to jack taxes even higher. Obama, in other words, is a typical 80s Ivy League liberal who still thinks Reagan got it all wrong. Far from being too influenced by lefty powerbrokers, the president has breathed them new life.

In the end, history will likely show that when Obama started dropping in the polls, it wasn't because "he took on too much at once" or "because he wasted time negotiating with Chuck Grassley." He lost ground because his ideas were rejected by the American people, just as they were after the Carter era.

Most Americans want the government to tighten its belt and clear the way for businesses to expand. We want real economic growth, fueled by dynamic companies creating new job opportunities. Fake growth, enabled by government make-work and financed by Chinese lenders, is a lot less popular -- and, for that matter, sustainable.

For all the recent discussion of the Kennedy dynasty and Obama's glamor, the reality is that even from the grave, Reagan is still beating Democrats on the issues that matter most.

Narrative: Cassius was last seen in the area of Covington Way, wearing pajamas. He was last seen in the company of Alexander Lakhno, a white male, 28 years old, 6 feet 4 inches tall, 247 lbs., brown hair and eyes. They were last seen traveling in a 2001 Silver Toyota Solara, Pennsylvania tag HBM 5426.

Reason 1: The FairTax meets the entire Democratic tax agenda, starting with progressivity. The FairTax is far more progressive than the current income tax system. Under the FairTax, low-income households experience five times the benefit increase as compared to high-income households. And a switch to the FairTax causes real wages to rise.

Source: Jokisch, Sabine and Laurence J. Kotlikoff, “Simulating the Dynamic Macroeconomic and Microeconomic Effects of the FairTax,” NBER Working Paper No. 11858, December, 2005 and Kotlikoff, Laurence J. and David Rapson, “Comparing Average and Marginal Tax Rates under the FairTax and the Current System of Federal Taxation,” NBER Working Paper No. 12533, Revised October 2006. Available at http://tinyurl.com/nzy66d

Reason 2: The FairTax eliminates the highly regressive tax on wages of the working poor and middle class. The FairTax removes the single most regressive element (the payroll tax) for wage earners. Payroll taxes are currently imposed on the first $97,500 of earnings but drop steeply to only a few percent above that amount. The FairTax repeals this unfair tax and allows wage earners to keep their entire paycheck. According to Robert Reich, former U.S. Secretary of Labor, “Everyone hates taxes, but the payroll tax has got to be the worst. Four out of five American workers pay more in payroll taxes than they do in income taxes. The payroll tax is also regressive as hell -- poorer workers pay proportionately more than richer ones.”

Reason 3: The FairTax is the only plan that completely untaxes the poor. Even a person with a zero percent income tax rate today must pay payroll taxes on the first dollar they earn and also pay hidden federal taxes in the prices of everything they buy. The FairTax removes these hidden taxes, eliminates the payroll tax, and holds all taxpayers harmless against any taxes on essentials such as food, clothing, and shelter.

Reason 4: The FairTax stops the export of jobs. Our income tax favors imports over U.S. production by exempting imports from U.S. tax, and we penalize U.S. exports by allowing foreign nations to impose taxes when our goods enter their shores. This adds up to an average 17 percent price advantage over U.S. produced goods, which greatly depresses U.S. exports and costs us jobs. The FairTax stops this abuse by taxing all goods consumed in the U.S. alike and untaxing exports.

Source: “Hausman Study Shows Distortions in International Trading System Hurting U.S. Manufacturers: An Economic Analysis of WTO Rules on Border Adjustability of Taxes,” May 2006. Available at http://tinyurl.com/ntl4wm.

Reason 5: The FairTax untaxes education. The FairTax rewards education and upward mobility in the simplest and most powerful way: It eliminates tuition from all federal taxation. This allows individuals to apply their whole paycheck to tuition before any taxes are taken out. Source: “Why the FairTax is good for young and low-income families,” Americans For Fair Taxation White Paper.

Available at http://tinyurl.com/mynjzg and HR 25.

Reason 6: The FairTax is the only plan that targets and taxes existing wealth, not the fruits of labor. The FairTax will tax every dollar of accumulated wealth in the most efficient way possible – when it is spent. Tax shelters, loopholes, or other gimmicks to shield large wealth from taxation will be a thing of the past.

Reason 7: The FairTax boosts the real growth and prosperity of the U.S. Independent research studies confirm the powerful economic effects. Beacon Hill Institute predicts that real GDP would be 10.3 percent higher in just four years under the FairTax. Laurence Kotlikoff, Ph.D., predicts the capital stock to be 12.8 percent higher by 2010 and 43.7 percent higher by 2030, leading to real wages that would be 11.5 percent higher in 2030 than otherwise would be the case if the current tax system remained in place.

Source: Tuerck, David, et al., “The Economic Effects of the FairTax: Results from the Beacon Hill Institute CGE Model,” The Beacon Hill Institute at Suffolk University, February 2007 and Jokisch and Kotlikoff, “Simulating the Dynamic Macroeconomic and Microeconomic Effects of the FairTax,” September 2006. Available at http://tinyurl.com/nag8km

Reason 8: The FairTax is revenue neutral. The FairTax, at a 23 percent tax rate, raises the same amount of money for the federal government as today’s income tax system. This means that steep budget cuts are not required to pass meaningful tax reform.

Reason 9: The FairTax promotes the American Dream. The FairTax makes home ownership more affordable because used homes are totally untaxed, and three out of four homebuyers buy used homes. For new and used homes, the FairTax does not tax the earnings used to pay mortgages, interest rates will be far lower under the FairTax, and a homebuyer can save for a down payment faster than under current law.

Source: “Promoting home ownership: How the FairTax’s benefits for homeowners exceed the mortgage interest deduction,” Americans For Fair Taxation White Paper. Available at http://tinyurl.com/lgn2t8

Reason 10: The FairTax is not a political slogan. FairTax.org is nonpartisan. Our broken tax system hurts every American, and it will take leaders from all parts of the political spectrum to fix it.

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Note: I used tinyURL.com to shorten some very long URL in the above post. while I copied and pasted, nothing is certain in life. Any error in linking to the various URL's is probably mine and the entire PDF file can be found at the link in the title. That one was correct when posted.

Monday, August 31, 2009

Privacy advocates have long warned that users of Facebook and other social networks who seek amusement from quizzes like "What Simpsons Character Are You?" might be mortified by the way creators of such applications can access and potentially "scrape" personal information — not just about the quiz-takers, but their friends as well.

Now, engaging in some online jujitsu, the ACLU of Northern California is employing a cautionary Facebook quiz of its own to illustrate how quizzes that may seem "perfectly harmless" can release an array of data to the wider world — including users' "religion, sexual orientation, political affiliation, photos, events, notes, wall posts, and groups."

The app, titled "What Do Facebook Quizzes Know About You?" delivers its answer by opening a window that scrolls biographical data, attributed comments and photos.

More than 8,000 participants have taken the ACLU's quiz since it was quietly released a few days ago, the ACLU said Wednesday. The group hopes to prompt Facebook to upgrade its privacy default settings for its users, now numbering more than 250 million.

One helpful upgrade, the civil liberties group said, would be for Facebook to "change default privacy settings so that quizzes and other third-party applications run by a user's friends do not have access to the information on a user's profile without the user's opt-in consent."

Facebook users considering such applications as quizzes typically see a page that provides a choice of "Allow" or "cancel." The boilerplate language notes that allowing access "will let it pull your profile information, photos, your friends' info, and other content that it requires to work." But many Facebook users ignore the warning or don't comprehend the potential risks, the ACLU said.

Facebook, which boasts of building its success on creating an online environment users trust, said Wednesday that it has been actively policing its service in recent days and has disabled hundreds of applications, including some quiz apps, found to be inconsistent with Facebook policies.

The company also pointed out that it recently simplified user privacy settings. The final question of the ACLU quiz enables users to visit the Facebook page where they can alter their settings.

"We generally agree with their recommendations and have already made public announcements about relevant changes that are under way," said Barry Schnitt, Facebook's director of policy communications.

The Palo Alto-based service has been buffeted by criticism from a variety of privacy advocates, and in some cases has found ways to resolve complaints. "We've also had productive discussions with the Canadian Privacy Commissioner about improving user data controls on Platform," Schnitt said. "We'd be glad to also have productive discussions with the ACLU and generally catch them up, too."

Chris Conley, a technology fellow with the ACLU, said creating a Facebook quiz seemed an apt means for spreading word about privacy risks inherent in such apps. "We wanted to use Facebook itself to show how all these quiz creators have access to personal information," said Conley, a former software engineer at Intel who coded the quiz.

It is difficult to know how third-party app developers use the data, which can be collected and sold for marketing and advertising campaigns, Conley said. Private investigators and political entities are known to create dossiers using technologies that automatically scour the Web. An individual bombarded by spam, for example, may have been targeted because of an affiliation posted on Facebook. "There is no way to know," Conley said.

The text of ACLU's quiz put it in ominous terms: "Once details about your personal life are collected by a quiz developer, who knows where they could end up or how they could be used. Shared? Sold? Turned over to the government?"

The group acknowledged the irony of its approach: "We know it's a little weird to warn you about Facebook quizzes by asking you to take a Facebook quiz — but at least you know who we are and that we have a real privacy policy that we're committed to upholding. Can you say the same for every unknown author of every quiz you or your friends take?"

Many Facebook quizzes have been created with templates from LOLapps, a San Francisco startup that enables users to create their own quizzes. It has also written its own quizzes, including such popular ones as "Which Sex and the City Character Are You?" and "What Type of Heart Do You Have?"

Efforts to reach LOLapps CEO Kavin ﻿Stewart on Wednesday were not successful.

Contact Scott Duke Harris at 408-920-2704.

HOW PRIVATE IS Facebook?

The ACLU of Northern California created its own Facebook app, a multiple-choice quiz, to show users that the social-networking service"s privacy controls may not live up to expectations. Here"s how it begins:

QUESTION 1: When you take a quiz on Facebook, what can the quiz see about you?

Only your answers to its questions.

Only information that is set as "public" on your profile.

Almost everything on your profile, even if you use privacy settings to limit access.

The ACLU says the correct answer is "almost everything," which it illustrates by opening a window that scrolls data loaded from the quiz-taker"s Facebook page. The quiz can be found at apps.facebook.com/aclunc_privacy_quiz.

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Just beware that all social networking sites have inherent dangers. Shoot, just being on the Internet can be dangerous. Life can be dangerous. Whether we're talking your off-line (aka your "real") or your on-line (aka your "Internet) life you have to take precautions.

Usually common sense is the best protection we have. Don't do things that open you up to a possible crime or scam. Just as those involved in personal protection, law enforcement and similar professions can be a crime victim, even the most Internet savvy among us can fall victim to an Internet scam. And most of us don't fall into either category.

And as this article points out, be very careful of what information you put on the Internet. Sometimes you have to give information to sign into a site such as Facebook. Sites in themselves are usually not the problem, it's, as in the case cited here, the apps you allow into your pages.

The bottom line is: be careful out there. Don't let the danger scare you away, there are good, fun, and useful things things on the Internet.

Sunday, August 30, 2009

If My Body Were a Car...

...this is the time I would be thinking about trading it in for a newer model. I've got bumps and dents and scratches in my finish, and my paint job is getting a little dull. But that's not the worst of it. My headlights are out of focus, and it's especially hard to see things up close.

My traction is not as graceful as it once was. I slip and slide and skid and bump into things even in the best of weather.